Curlew Brooch (Silver)

100% recycled sterling silver with oxidised and subtly etched detail. Sterling silver brooch back.

Afforestation, excessive draining, run-off and other agricultural practices on their beloved mudflat breeding grounds is pushing the curlew's beak right out of joint.  Fragmentation of habitat also means the birds have lost much of their cover, leaving them more vulnerable to natural predators such as carrion birds and foxes.

With an almost 50% decline in numbers between 1995 and 2020, this is now a species in absolute crisis - and astonishingly, the UK is still where 1/3 of all Eurasian curlews can be found.

Their close cousins, whimbrels, are also on the UK's red list, with several other species of curlew (eg Arctic curlew) believed to be already extinct or nearing extinction globally.  Extensive silage production, predation, and habitat loss thanks to human activity and climate change are generally cited as the main reasons for their decline, wherever they live.

Fun fact: female curlews have longer, curlier beaks than their male counterparts and prefer feeding on mudflats, where males prefer turning over rockier shorelines for their lunch.